majors|majored|majoring'meɪdʒə(r)noun+a commissioned military officer in the United States Army or Air Force or Marines; below lieutenant colonel and above captain+British statesman who was prime minister from 1990 until 1997 (born in 1943)+a university student who is studying a particular field as the principal subject+the principal field of study of a student at a universityverb+have as one's principal field of studyadj.+of greater importance or stature or rank+greater in scope or effect+greater in number or size or amount+of the field of academic study in which one concentrates or specializes+of a scale or mode+of greater seriousness or danger+of full legal age+of the elder of two boys with the same family name

adjective, noun, verb+adjective1[usually before noun] very large or important: a major road + major international companies + to play a major role in sth + We have encountered major problems. + There were calls for major changes to the welfare system.Antonym: MINOR2[not before noun] (AmE, spoken) serious: Never mind-it's not major.3 (music) based on a SCALE (= a series of eight notes) in which the third note is two whole TONES/STEPS higher than the first note: the key of D majorCompare: MINOR4 (AmE) related to sb's main subject of study in college+noun1[C] (abbreviation Maj.) an officer of fairly high rank in the army or the US air force: Major Smith + He's a major in the US army.See also-DRUM MAJOR, SERGEANT MAJOR2[C] (AmE) the main subject or course of a student at college or university: Her major is French.Compare: MINOR3[C] (AmE) a student studying a particular subject as the main part of their course: She's a French major.4[U] (music) a major key or scale: to change from major to minor5 (the majors) [pl.] (AmE, sport) the MAJOR LEAGUESverbPhrasal Verbs: major in sth (AmE) to study sth as your main subject at a university or college: She majored in History at Stanford.major on sth (BrE) to pay particular attention to one subject, issue, etc.